An Evening of Dress-Up and Jazz

The sounds of jazz filled the Ozinga Chapel auditorium on Friday, September 11, as guests, elegant in black and white, danced the night away. The annual Black and White Dress-Up Night of Jazz, sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Committee, welcomed the Trinity Jazz Band and award winning singer-actress Ava Logan.

About 250 students and community members were present, and many accepted the emcees’ invitations to dance in the aisles. The performance began at 7 p.m. and people lingered long after, mingling, enjoying refreshments, and meeting Ava Logan.

“Music is so diverse and reaches out to many different people,” said Joanna Dykstra ’11 of Hammond, Indiana, who co-hosted the evening with Sam Huenink ’11 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. “I love to see people trying new things, like dancing to jazz music in the aisles! Even those who were not up and dancing were enjoying the music from their seats.”

Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, professor of English, serves on the Cultural Affairs Committee and organized the event. “I was pleased by how gently educational the night was,” said Vander Weele. “By doing tributes to jazz greats, and talking about them, what Chicago schools they went to, what names they were born with, what their influences were, we learned a lot of jazz history and it went down easily.”

“Jazz Night brings new people to Trinity, allows for a great cultural experience, and is different than any other event on campus, plus it’s good for students to get out of their jeans and sweat pants and dress up and feel marvelous!” said Dykstra.